"Seed security for food security."
Reference: FAO’s Approach to Seed Security, Consultative Meeting, Florence, Italy, 1997

Seed and plant propagating material are the strategic goods in plant production. Due to this the development and implementation of an appropriate, effective and efficient seed regime is a high priority issue of each national economy.

On this platform a description of the seed certification and seed testing scheme in Austria, as a member of the European Community, as participant of the OECD-Schemes and as member of the International Seed Testing Association (ISTA), is provided and in which approach the seed scheme is contributing to the overall goal of ensuring food security.

For the implementation and administration of the seed law in Austria the Ministry for Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water management as well as operatively the Federal Office for Food Safety is in charge. The Federal Office for Food Safety - Institute for Seed - is the competent authority for seed certification and testing and furthermore responsible body for international affairs.

"The flowers of all of the tomorrows are in the seeds of today."
Reference: J. R. Cowan, President of the American Society of Agronomy, 1973.

The content of this platform "seeds - basis for food security" is:

• Seed - legal aspects and regulations
• Seed certification system
• Seed quality and seed quality criteria
• Marketing/enforcment conttrol of seeds
• Statistics - market supply
• Seeds and special regard to GMO
• Seeds and special regard to organic farming